A Brother's Love
by ReluctantSlashFan
Summary: When McGee goes missing, Tony must track him down whilst trying to figure out who took him. -Third in my 'Brothers Universe.'
1. Chapter 1

**A huge, huge thanks to my beta SpunTrumak :)**

**Warning: Before you read I wanted to say there is going to McGee Whump in this story. Just because I can, so if you don't like McGee Whump please do not read this just so you can tell me you don't like it. Thanks.**

**Anyway, with that out of the way. Hey guys! This is the third story in my Brother's Universe. I'm not sure if this is the last one or if I'll do one more, but until then I give you this.**

**So, thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and I own nothing.**

**See ya in the next chapter...**

**NCIS**

He was bleeding. This was one wound he wasn't going to survive, no matter how much time the prison surgeons spent on him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He was six months shy of his parole hearing, had been the damn near perfect prisoner, and he was going out because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. How in the hell was that fair?

The bright side of his clusterfuck of a life, he knew his brother would avenge him. If there was one thing he had learned growing up, it was to always rely on his brother. His brother would make sure they paid for this. And he'd start with the insufferable Agent DiNozzo.

His head was starting to feel fuzzy. It was only a matter of time. They weren't going to save him. Nobody could save him.

And when he was found, a few hours later, lying in a pool of his own blood, he had been exactly right.

**NCIS**

**3 days later…**

"Are you sure you don't want to go come over for a movie, McGee?" Tony asked as he, Ziva, and Tim stepped out of the building. "I just got the fourth season of Knight Rider, McBro."

"No thanks, Tony. I'm just going to go home and do some writing," McGee declined with a small smile on his face. "Maybe this weekend?"

"You're a party pooper, kid," Tony replied grinning. "One day you'll embrace your inner DiNozzo."

"Or I'll stick to being half a McGee," Tim retorted getting in his car. "Night guys," he called through his open door.

"Good night Tim," Ziva said waving.

"See ya tomorrow, Tim-Tim," Tony responded and walked towards his own car. McGee rolled his eyes at the nickname DiNozzo had started to call him, but still couldn't stop his smile from growing.

Their cars went in two opposite directions. Tony and Ziva headed towards Tony's apartment while McGee set out for his apartment. They had spent the past four days camping out at the naval yard, trying their damndest to track down a murderer. They had very little sleep, very little to eat, and very little patience for error in their hunt. And now that the perp was locked up, McGee just wanted to go home and sleep in his own bed.

McGee was about halfway home, when he noticed a younger guy standing on the side of the road. He appeared to be trying to flag Tim down, and McGee pulled over right away.

"What's wrong?" he asked rolling his window down as the guy approached the car.

"My tire's flat. I was wondering if you had a jack," the guy replied. He gestured towards a dirt road a few feet from them. "My car's just that way."

"Okay, let's take a look," Tim said and turned his car off. He popped his trunk, pocketed his keys, and got out of the car. He walked towards the back of his Porsche, digging around the back for his jack. He had just wrapped his hands around it, when he felt something jab him in the neck.

He turned, his hand going to his neck in surprise, and felt his knees give way. The kid swam in and out of focus as he caught Tim. He forced the older man into the Porsche's trunk. As everything went from fuzzy to gray, McGee caught a glimpse of a familiar pair of brown eyes.

"I-I know…" he tried to say, but his tongue felt too heavy to get the words out. As the gray slowly faded to black, the guy said, "He took my brother. So, I'm taking his."

Before Tim could decipher what that meant, the trunk was slammed and McGee blacked out.

**NCIS**

"Hey McTim," Tony was saying as Ziva stepped off the elevator. "This is the third message I've left you. I know you're probably just running late; traffic can be a killer; so, just call me when you can. Or, you know, pick up your phone; just a suggestion." Tony hung up, tossing his cell phone on his desk, and buried his face in his hands.

"McGee is not in yet?" Ziva asked causing the older man to jump. He picked his head up, turning his chair to face her.

He gave her a ghost of his usual smile and said, "I'm sure it's nothing." Neither his voice nor his eyes convinced Ziva that it was nothing. In fact, it sounded like a big pile of something.

"Did you, perhaps, make him mad without knowing it?" she asked curiously, sitting at her desk.

"I haven't spoken to him since last night," Tony replied softly. "Unless I have developed a psychic power, over night, that causes me to piss people off without saying a word, I doubt I've made him mad."

"Has anyone else tried calling him?" Ziva pressed taking her phone from her bag.

"Go ahead," Tony said gesturing to her, "call him. He hasn't picked up the last six times I've called him why would he magically pick up for you?"

Ziva threw her partner a glare, but still hit number three on her speed dial. She listened to the phone ring once, twice, before going to voicemail. "_This is Timothy McGee's cell. Leave me a message with your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as I can."_

"Tim, it is Ziva. I was just wondering where you were. Call Tony or me back when you can." She almost tacked on 'we're worried' but thought that would be a bit much. They weren't one-hundred percent sure what was going on and their worry could be premature.

"Told ya," Tony said just as the elevators dinged. Hopeful green eyes settled on the opened doors, but then narrowed in disappointment when Gibbs stepped off.

The older man noticed Tony's eyes, but didn't say anything. He just walked past the two agents' desk, sat down at his own, took a sip of coffee, and said, "Where's McGee?"

"We do not…" Ziva's voice trailed off when Gibbs' phone rang. The older man picked it up and said, "Gibbs?"

The two agents watched their boss as his face became increasingly less readable with every word the other end said. Ziva spared a glance at Tony, who looked as if he were about to say something, but his words were cut off as Gibbs hung up the phone.

"Grab your gear," he said pushing himself to his feet.

"What's wrong, boss?" Tony asked staying at his desk.

"What has happened?" Ziva questioned when Gibbs neglected to answer Tony's inquiry.

For a split second, Ziva believed Gibbs wasn't going to answer, but he finally looked between the two agents and said, "Local LEOs found McGee's car."

"What about Tim?" Tony questioned still sitting at his desk. "Where's Tim, boss?"

Gibbs' look was answer enough, and both Tony and Ziva stood up and followed their boss onto the elevators.


	2. Chapter 2

_Tim stumbled into a clean, bright kitchen, running a hand through his messy hair. He stopped just inside the threshold, watching as Tony and Sarah sat across from each other, arguing. He cleared his throat, startling both, and they looked towards him._

"_Hey, looks who's finally awake," Tony greeted brightly, leaning back in his chair. "Aren't you usually up by now?"_

"_Yeah Tim. you're usually the first up," Sarah said getting up to put her bowl in the sink. She turned, leaning against the counter, and continued, "Don't tell me you spent all night looking through that telescope."_

"_Yeah because you definitely were not on the phone all night with…" Tim trailed off, wracking his brain. "Sean?"_

"_Michael," Tony supplied helpfully, taking a sip of coffee._

"_Or is it Brian?" they said together with a grin._

"_It's Mark," Sarah supplied testily. "And I wasn't on the phone with him all night."_

"_Liar," both guys responded as McGee crossed the room to the cabinet. He grabbed a bowl and headed towards the table._

"_You two just wouldn't understand. You're 'Love 'Em And Leave 'Em' guy," she pointed at Tony, "and you're," she turned to Tim, "'Going To Die A Virgin' guy."_

"_Hey, that's not fair," Tony stated quickly. "One day Tim will meet a nice Elf Goddess and they'll make a fantastic couple."_

"_Ha ha," Tim mumbled sarcastically, pouring cereal into a bowl._

"_Please tell me you three aren't arguing again," a new voice said and Cecelia walked into the room. She moved across the room, giving each a kiss on the head. When she got to Tim, she whispered in his ear, "Time to wake up honey."_

"_Huh?"_

"_It's time to wake up," she repeated and everything turned white._

McGee woke abruptly, snorting in a lungful of dust. He coughed harshly, each new wave sending a spike of pain through his already aching head. Somewhere, deep down, Tim knew the dust wasn't be good for his asthma, but since he was more preoccupied with figuring out where he was, he pushed that little tidbit away.

Once the coughing subsided, leaving his chest and head hurting, did Tim slowly peel his eyes open. He was lying on his stomach on a dusty, dirty floor. Slowly McGee sat up, letting his eyes scan the area. The walls around him were made of stone and dirt and a small sliver of light from above shined down on him.

He scanned his surroundings a second time, dread settling in his stomach when he realized he had been dropped in an old well. He struggled to his feet, stumbling a bit as he began walking the perimeter, looking for any jutted out stones, anything that'd help him climb out, but he found the stone was too smooth.

Taking a step back, shaking his head slightly to clear a bout of dizziness, McGee wracked his brain, trying to figure out how he had gotten in the well. The only thing he achieved was more pain, another wave of dizziness, and a flash of a pair of familiar brown eyes.

He slid to the ground, fighting another wave of dizziness, trying to figure out where he had seen those brown eyes. If his head would just stop pounding he'd remember; he had to remember. McGee let his head loll across the dirty wall, looking up at the sky. He was confident, at least a part of him was, that Tony and the others would find him. Tim just had to hold on until then.

_Easier said than done,_ he thought as a rain drop landed on his nose. _Hurry guys._

**NCIS**

Tony sat at his desk, tapping his fingers against the surface, listening to the rain hammer on the roof above him, while he looked at crime scene photos. They had thoroughly searched McGee's car and the area around it before the downpour started, but other than a few dozen sets of fingerprints and some footprints, they were no closer to finding Tim than they had been an hour and a half ago.

DiNozzo tossed the photos onto his desk, leaning back in his chair. He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, wishing there was a clue somewhere, something they may have missed, that would lead him to his little brother. He couldn't lose McGee.

His phone rang, startling him. Tony sat up, glaring at the thing for a moment, before he drew in a deep breath and picked it up. "DiNozzo?"

At first, all he heard was heavy breathing and he very said '_Take your Jason/Freddie/Michael crap and shove it up your ass pal'_, but the breathing soon morphed into a chuckle and a voice said, "_You took my brother now I took yours_."

"Who is this?" he demanded.

"_Come to the old warehouse district… alone. Twenty minutes or I kill him."_ the chuckle sounded again. "_Bye, bye Agent DiNozzo."_ The phone clicked and a busy signal greeted Tony. He glanced around the empty bullpen for a few seconds, trying to calm himself down, before he hung up his phone and checked his watch. If he took a short cut, he should be able to make it there in fifteen.

Tony jumped to his feet, intending to head towards the elevator, but was stopped by Ziva heading back to her desk from the bathroom. He opened his mouth, intending to tell her some type of excuse, but just shook his head and raced towards the elevator. He ignored her calls, instead pressing the call button impatiently.

The car finally arrived, but the doors opened to reveal Gibbs.

**NCIS  
**

**I am so so so sorry this is late. I got stuck in a rut where I didn't want to write. I'm serious, I would stare at the page, waiting for some inspiration, but only managed to write a one shot. But I am back, so let's see how long this wave of inspiration lasts.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, I promise the next chapter won't take too long, and I thank all of you for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting last chapter.**

**Drop a comment if you can.**

**See ya**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am sorry this is late. I should probably put time aside every week to write, but I have a feeling that's not going to happen any time soon.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews last chapter, I do not own these characters, and leave a comment if you can.**

**Thanks for reading**

**NCIS**

"Hey boss," Tony said taking a step back. He noticed the older man was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a Caf-Pow in the other. "I see you're on your way to see Abby. You're probably checking on our progress before heading down to her lab," Tony rambled, searching for some type of excuse as to why he had to leave. He hated lying to Gibbs, but he'd take a head slap, or a bullet wound, if it meant keeping his brother alive.

Gibbs merely raised an eyebrow, giving Tony a questioning look, no doubt asking just where in the hell he was going. Tony drew in a deep breath and said, "I needed air, boss. The windows up here don't open and…" DiNozzo could tell Gibbs just wasn't buying it, so he went for broke.

"Look, Gibbs, my brother is out there, and I know you have every intention of finding him, but I just can't sit here, looking at crime scene photos, waiting on Abby to get something. I need to be doing something productive." Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm just going to check with the security guy again. I'll be right back. Please boss."

Gibbs waited a beat, taking in what Tony had said, before stepping aside and heading towards the bullpen. DiNozzo took two tentative steps into the elevator, waiting to see if Gibbs called him back, hurriedly pressing the L-button when his boss didn't say a word.

The ride down to the parking lot couldn't have been more than thirty seconds, but to Tony it felt like forever. The second the doors opened, he tore out of the car and sprinted out to the parking lot. Glancing over his shoulder, making damn sure Gibbs (or anyone for that matter) wasn't looking out the window, he headed directly to his car only to skid to a halt, nearly slipping on the slick blacktop.

He felt his heart sink at the sight before him, his stomach clenching. Someone had slashed his tires.

**NCIS**

_"Do I need to build each of you your own kitchen?" Cecelia asked moving away from Tim and towards the coffee pot. McGee furrowed his eyebrows, looking around the kitchen suspiciously. Didn't his mother just tell him to wake up? Why was she acting like she hadn't whispered anything in his ear?_

_"Oh, if you do can mine have a French maid in it?" Tony questioned receiving a pointed look from Cecelia and a giggle from Sarah. "She'd just be there to make my meals and clean; nothing more. I promise."_

_"Tony, the last time you made a 'promise', I found a black bra in the back of my car."_

_"I told you that wasn't mine," Tony stated and Cecelia snorted, shaking her head. "Hey, Tim, can you get the door?"_

_"What?" McGee questioned just as someone knocked. He nodded, getting to his feet, and headed out of the kitchen, towards the door. He pulled it open, and caught a pair of familiar brown eyes before he was bombarded by a flash of white light._

McGee jolted awake again, the brown eyes still plaguing him. Despite a clearer head than the last time he woke up, he still couldn't remember why those eyes looked so familiar. Though, a gut feeling told him it was extremely important that he figure out why he recognized those eyes.

Rain continued to pound on his head, drenching his clothes and leaving behind a muddy mess in his makeshift prison. A shiver ripped through him, followed by several more. He wondered just how long he had been sitting in that hole, but when he checked his watch he found it broken. McGee figured it must have broken when he was thrown in the well.

He ran a slick hand down his face, struggling to his feet. He nearly slipped in the mud, but managed to keep himself standing. He knew there was no way he was climbing out of the pit, the walls way too slippery. He glanced up at the hole, wondering if he could attract someone's attention if he shouted. He still had faith that Tony and the team would find him, but it didn't hurt to offer some assistance; even if he could get someone to call for help.

"H…help," he attempted to shout, but his voice came out a hoarse croak. McGee cleared his throat, and tried again, this time a bit clearer, "Help!" Tim waited a beat, before trying again, but to no avail. It seemed he was completely alone.

_Not completely,_ he told himself. His friends were still looking for him; Tony was still looking for him. He just had to keep reminding himself of that; as long as that little tidbit stayed in his head he wasn't alone. He could never be alone.

He slowly sank back to the ground, more rain continuing to pour down on him. It reminded him of the time his car had broken down at the naval yard. It had been raining harder than ever, and he almost had to take the bus, but Abby offered to give him a ride. That had to be around the time she had…

McGee's eyes widened, realization dawning on him. He knew why those eyes looked familiar, and he had a sneaking suspicion who was behind this.

**NCIS**

It was exactly ten blocks to get to the old warehouse district. Tony ran the entire way, rain pounding against his head. By the time he made it his legs were on fire, he was wheezing worse than ever, and he was fairly certain he was going to pass out. He also had two minutes left before his twenty minutes were up.

He started searching the immediate area, looking for any signs of McGee. When his search didn't pan out, he headed into the closest building, keeping his eyes peeled and his hand on his gun.

Tony froze inside the doorway, eyes landing on a figure sitting in the middle of the room, tied to a chair. "Tim," he said racing forward, still keeping his eyes on his surroundings.

He stopped near the chair, reaching a hesitant hand out, only to reel backwards when McGee's head fell off. For a split second, panic ripped through Tony. Had the bastard killed his brother and left his body in this grotesque position for him to find? What kind of sick…?

His thought trailed off when he realized it was a mannequin wearing McGee's jacket. It was holding a sign that said: _Check my pocket._

Eyebrows furrowed, Tony stepped forward and dug around the pockets, finding a small earpiece in the left coat pocket. He glanced around before placing the thing in his ear.

"Hello?" he said carefully.

"_Agent DiNozzo, I'm impressed. You managed to make it with…" _there was a brief pause. "…_thirty seconds to spare. Cutting it a bit close there aren't you?"_

"Only because someone slashed my tires," Tony snapped pacing in a small circle. "Where's Tim?"

"_Safe… for now_," the voice said ominously. "_And he'll continue to be safe as long as you do exactly what I say."_

"And what, pray tell, would you have me do?"

"_I want to see how far you'll go to save your brother,_" the voice replied slowly, a smirk in his voice. "_And I want you to start by quitting NCIS."_


	4. Chapter 4

In a way it made perfect sense to Tim… if he really, really, really thought about it. Tony had gotten Chip (Charles? Whatever his name was) sent to jail, virtually taking him away from his… what? Brother? Sister? Parent? McGee wasn't quite sure, but whoever it was wanted revenge, but why now? Why not go after Tony right _after_ Chip was put in jail? Why not go the 'Chip' route and frame Tony for murder? What had changed?

That was what McGee had to find out. He tried to wrack his brain, figure out if he had read anything about Chip lately, but realized he hadn't exactly given Abby's ex-assistant much thought in the past few years. Hell, even Tony didn't seem to think about Chip, but that could easily be a ruse. McGee had noticed his brother kept too many things close to his chest, barely shared what he was really feeling, and it was only out of pure luck that McGee managed to get anything remotely personal out of the older man.

Tim struggled to his feet, slipping and sliding in the mud, and began pacing. If it was indeed Chip's brother (or relative) McGee had to hope the guy (girl, elder) wasn't as crazy as Chip. Though, the fact that they kidnapped him and threw him in a pit, during a rain storm, made McGee realize they were probably crazier than Chip.

He sighed, leaning against the wall, noticing for the first time that the water was slowly rising. The last time he had stood, it only came to the top of his foot, now it was creeping past his ankle. He just had to keep from panicking, remind himself that it wasn't that bad. The odds of it raining enough for this hole filling with water weren't very high… unless there was a river or lake nearby.

"Yeah, like that's helping," he muttered glancing up at the opening. He already tried calling for help and climbing out, both useless moves on his part, but there had to be something else he could do; something that could help him. He just had to figure it out.

He scanned the area but found nothing. He sighed again, having a feeling Tony, Gibbs, and Ziva would have already been out of this hole. Of course, Gibbs probably wouldn't even be thrown down here in the first place. He wouldn't be stupid enough to stop and help…

It came rushing back and McGee's eyes widened. He had stopped to help that kid, that boy, with his car. He was digging around in his trunk for his jack and had felt something stick into his neck. He had been injected with something, but what? And was it dangerous or just a harmless sedative?

Pushing those concerns back, he remembered the guy saying, "_He took my brother. So, I'm taking his."_ Chip's brother; McGee had been nabbed by Chip's brother. It still didn't explain what exactly happened to result in his capture, but it was at least a lead; a lead that would be better suited for his rescue team and not him.

"Damn it," he whispered sliding to the ground again. He shivered, glancing up at the sky again, willing the rain to let up. It was a futile attempt, and with a third sigh McGee dragged himself to his feet and began searching the area again. He couldn't give up, Tony would never give up. He could do this; he had to do this.

**NCIS**

"You want me to what?" Tony said slowly, through numb lips, slowing his pacing. What this guy was asking was impossible. Gibbs would definitely know something was up. "How do you expect me to do that?"

"_You're an intelligent man, Agent DiNozzo. You'll think of something_," the voice replied. "_Just remember, I'll be listening, so don't try anything stupid."_

"How do I know Tim's alive?" Tony demanded his pacing picking up again. "I'm not doing this-quitting-if he's already dead."

"_You'll just have to take my word for it,_" the voice stated softly.

"Just let me talk to…"

"_You have fifteen minutes, DiNozzo, or I kill him,_" the voice interrupted before going silent.

Tony wanted to argue, wanted to continue to demand to speak to his brother, but he knew it was futile, so he opted to check his watch and rush out of the building. Instead of running, he flagged down a cab.

The cabbie wrinkled his nose at the state of DiNozzo, but still allowed the agent into his cab. Tony rattled off the naval yard's address, barely feeling the cab begin to move as he tried desperately to think of a convincing cover story. The problem was there wasn't one Gibbs would believe. If he wanted to really and truly quit, he'd have to go to the source. He'd have to go to Vance.

The moment the cab pulled up to the naval yard, Tony got out of the car. He tossed a few bills through the window the cabbie had opened and headed towards the front entrance, checking his watch on the way. He still had ten minutes.

"_Should I count down for you?"_ the voice asked nastily, but Tony ignored him as he stepped on the elevator that a probie had just stepped out of. For a split second, Tony was reminded of McGee, but he let the thought fade away as he hammered on the elevator button.

He surpassed the third floor, allowing the elevator to automatically take him to Vance's level. The moment the doors opened, Tony sprinted off the car, barely sparing a glance over the balcony, and towards the director's office. He tore the door open, ignored the secretary, and burst into Vance's office.

"Agent DiNozzo," Vance started looking up at Tony. "I know this case is close to home for you, and I still don't think you should be working it, but that doesn't give you the right…"

Tony pulled his badge from his belt, removed his gun from its holster, and slapped both on the director's desk. "I-I quit," he whispered and raced out of Leon's office before the director could say another word.

He rushed back into the elevator, vaguely aware of Ziva calling his name, and once again pounded on the button. The doors slide closed seconds before Gibbs could reach the top of the stairs. Tony leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, and bitterly said, "There it's done. What do you want me to do now?"

**NCIS**

Gibbs watched Tony's form disappear behind the elevator doors. He almost moved towards the elevator, almost tracked where his SFA was going and followed him, but quickly changed routes and headed towards Leon's office.

He walked inside, ignored the receptionist, and stepped into Vance's open door. The first thing the ex-sniper noticed was the badge and gun sitting on the younger man's desk. Eyebrows furrowed, he glanced up at Leon.

"Don't look at me," he said raising his hands. "DiNozzo quit himself."

"What do you mean he quit?" Gibbs asked slowly, raising his eyebrows.

"He said he quit."

His gut churning, Gibbs turned and headed out of Vance's office. He rushed down the stairs, nearly running into Ziva at the bottom, and cut her off before she could say anything, "Keep searching for McGee."

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously, her eyebrows furrowing with worry.

Gibbs didn't respond. Instead he headed towards the elevator, pressing the button to call the car to him. If he were lucky, he'd be able to catch Tony in the parking lot. The ride down was way too long for his liking, and when the doors finally opened he raced out, despite his protesting knees, and crashed through the double doors and out, into the rain.

He looked around, noticing Tony's car still sitting in the parking lot, and hurriedly moved towards it. To his surprise, the tires were slashed. Gibbs immediately began searching the area, but was unable to find his SFA.

He pulled his cell phone from his pocket just as he raced towards his car, hitting send on a familiar name.

"What is going on?" Ziva demanded the moment she picked up.

"Track Tony's phone," Gibbs commanded ignoring her question.

"Why?"

"My gut," was all he said before getting in his car and hanging up.

**NCIS**

**I thought I'd bring in a new POV for you guys.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, alerts, and favs last chapter. You guys are awesome and I can't thank you enough.**

**So, thanks for reading, I do not own these characters, and drop me a comment if you can.**

**See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

Tony was about a block away from the naval yard when the voice said, "_Ditch your phone."_

"Why?" he demanded coming to a halt underneath an awning.

"_Now, or little brother…"_

"Fine," he snapped and took it from his pocket, tossing it in a nearby garbage can. "Happy?"

"_Keep walking,"_ the voice replied ignoring the question and Tony continued on his way. Rain continued to pound on his head, and he crossed his arms over his chest in hopes of staving off the cold, but it just made him feel like he jumped into a freezing lake to escape a blizzard.

"You never answered my question. What do you want me to do now?" Tony asked curiously, ignoring the stares from the few stragglers on the sidewalk.

"_You're doing it. Keep walking, get as far away from NCIS as you can, and then I'll tell you."_

For a while Tony walked in silence, shivering, knowing he should have probably grabbed his jacket before he left, but what was the point? Ziva or Gibbs would have just tried to talk him out of quitting, and they couldn't. Not without understanding why he did it, and telling them would result in Tim's death. He didn't know what to do other than listen to the demented voice and pray his brother was still alive.

"_You're being very quiet, Tony,"_ his voice said softly. "_I hope it wasn't something I said."_

"Why are you doing this?" Tony whispered ducking under another awning.

"_All in good time, Anthony,"_ the voice replied evasively. "_There should be a park a few blocks from where you are, head towards it. They'll be a cell phone taped underneath one of the benches. I want you to get it. I'll wait."_

Tony didn't bother asking how the whackjob knew where he was; he was either watching him or tracking him via the ear bud. DiNozzo was banking on the latter, since the guy was no doubt keeping an eye on Tim.

"I'm going to find you," he said softly, slowly heading towards the park, "and I am going to kill you."

"_You have five minutes,_" was all the voice said before going silent again.

**NCIS**

"Anything?" Gibbs barked into the phone the moment Ziva picked up.

"_I found his phone,"_ she replied and rattled off an address. "_He just seems to be standing there. I do not know why."_ Gibbs grunted in reply, and sped up into a jog, keeping his cell phone to his ear. "_Are you sure Tony just quit? Is that what Director Vance told you?"_

"Yes," he replied testily. He had told Ziva the same thing twice already, but it seemed she just didn't believe him, or she couldn't believe him. Regardless, they had agreed to hold off telling Abby until they knew what was going on. She was already worried about Tim; they didn't need to add Tony to the mix just yet.

"_I am just curious as to why,"_ Ziva stated slowly. "_Tony would never quit unless there was a really good reason. You don't think whoever has McGee is manipulating him somehow, do you?"_

Truthfully, that's exactly what Gibbs thought. It made the most sense. The whackjob was, no doubt, listening in on Tony's conversations somehow, making sure he did exactly what he wanted, and was most likely dangling McGee in front of DiNozzo. Tony would do whatever it took to keep his brother alive; Gibbs just hoped it didn't screw DiNozzo over in the process.

Jethro stopped at the address Ziva had given him, standing in between a restaurant and a flower shop. He looked around for Tony, expecting to see him, or any sign that he was there, but the area was empty.

"Are you sure he's here?" he barked into his phone, trying to staunch the worry that was gnawing away at his gut.

"_The computer says he should be standing right…"_

Gibbs tuned her out, noticing a cell phone lying in a nearby garbage can. He started towards it, picking it up out of the trash. It looked exactly like Tony's, but to be one-hundred percent sure, Gibbs said, "Track my phone."

"_What does that…?"_

"Just do it," he snapped and she sighed, complying. It was quiet for a moment, but finally her voice returned, "_You are standing right on top of Tony."_

"That's because I have his phone." _Tony, where the hell are you?_

**NCIS**

McGee was trembling violently when he awoke; his teeth chattering so hard he was fairly certain he cracked one of his molars. For a split second, he nearly forgot where he was, but his sluggish brain was able to conjure enough images to remind him of how much shit he was in.

He tried to sit up, but his muscles wouldn't cooperate with him, leaving him sitting on the ground of the steadily filling hole. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he figured since the water was almost to his waist, while sitting, it was a good chunk of time.

He glanced up at the hole, wondering why he was still in this damn situation. Surely, Tony would have found him by now, or at least found a suspect. Was he putting too much stock in Tony's abilities? Maybe he was going to be too late. That is if Tony was even looking for him.

_Stop it,_ he thought to himself. _He's looking for you. They are __all__ looking for you. They'll find you._

He just had to be patient. They were going to find him; Tony was going to find him. He just had to keep repeating those words, listen to the mantra. _They'd find him; Tony would find him. They'd find him; Tony would find him_.

Then why didn't he believe it? Why did giving up sound like the best option? He didn't want to die in a hole, stuck out in the freaking rain, captured by the brother of a psycho who tried to frame Tony and kill Abby. He didn't want to die at all, but it seemed that's where he was heading. He wondered if it'd be warmer.

In fact, he wasn't shivering so much anymore. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? And where was he again? He knew this, it was… was a hole. Why was he in a hole?

Panic gripped him. Why was he suddenly forgetting these things? He should know; a piece of him knew he should know. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

**NCIS**

Tony found the correct bench with one minute to spare. He picked the phone up just as it buzzed, an address flashing across the screen.

"_Here's what you're going to do now. Steal the next car you see and head to that address. You'll receive further instructions there,"_ the voice said in his ear. "_You have thirty minutes, go."_

**NCIS**_  
_

**I am so sorry this is late. There just isn't enough time in the day to write. Can they make 36 hour days :)**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews last chapter, you guys are awesome.**

**So, thanks for reading, drop me a comment if you can, and I do not own these characters.**

**See ya!**

**P.S. One of the symptoms of hypothermia is confusion which is why Tim goes from knowing where he is one moment to freaking out the next. Just a heads up :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for reviewing last chapter. You guys are awesome.**

**Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this, and I do not own these characters.**

**See ya!**

**NCIS**

Tony found himself speeding down the road, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every so often. He was convinced someone was following him, that he had been seen when he grabbed this car, but there was no one around, and he had tried to avoid any security cameras. Still he couldn't be sure, and a large part of him didn't care. He had to find McGee; his brother wasn't far away now. He would care when Tim was safe.

"_Better hurry up, Tony,"_ the voice mocked; a sneering whisper in his ear. "_We wouldn't want little brother to wind up dead now would we?"_

"Shut up," Tony hissed taking a corner at fifty, tires hydroplaning beneath him, nearly taking out a parked minivan. He managed to get the vehicle back under control, but his heart was thudding painfully against his chest.

"_You're breathing a little heavy there, DiNozzo; this game too much for you?"_

Tony opted to ignore the voice, continuing on his way. He spared a breath glance at his watch before pressing the pedal to the floor. He had fifteen minutes; he had to hurry.

**NCIS**

Gibbs stopped at the park, looking around for any sign of Tony. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard some shouting in anger, but he was a more preoccupied with hunting down his agent than listening to someone's problems. Unless he heard gunshots or screams of pain then he'd deal with it, but it didn't sound like an argument. Not when there was only one guy; unless he was on a cell phone.

Opting to ignore the guy, Gibbs searched the part for a few more minutes, but he didn't find anything helpful. His phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"_Anything, yet?"_ Ziva asked hopefully.

"No. I'll call you," he replied and hung up. He had to keep going, had to find Tony. The quicker he found DiNozzo the sooner he could return to looking for McGee. Gibbs started running deeper into the park, keeping his eyes peeled for Tony. He couldn't have gotten far; he didn't even have a car.

**NCIS**

Tony skidded to a stop in the parking lot of a local forest preserve. He tore out of the car, keeping it running, and snarled, "Where is he? Where the hell is my brother?"

"_Head north, you'll stumble upon him soon enough_," the voice replied smugly.

Tony merely growled and started running in that direction, crashing through the woods. Twice he tripped over fallen logs, but he kept going. Nothing could slow him down, not when he was so close. His brother was out there somewhere, he could feel it.

"McGee!" he called, hoping his voice could be heard over the ever present rain. "Tim answer me!

"C'mon, Tim where the hell..." Tony skidded to a halt, nearly falling into an old well. He glanced down, wondering why no one had covered…

_Holy crap! _Right there, looking far worse off than Tony could imagine, was McGee. "Tim! Tim, hey, Tim!" When Tony didn't get an answer he felt his heart sink. Maybe his brother was d…

_No, don't think it,_ he snapped at himself. McGee couldn't be dead; Tony would know if he was. "Don't worry little bro. I'll find some way to get you out."

_"Good luck with that,_" his voice said sardonically. In anger, Tony wrenched the ear bud from his ear and threw it on the ground, stomping it to pieces.

"I'll get you out," he promised Tim. "I'll get you out."

He sprinted back to the car, searching it thoroughly for something that could help him, and lucked out when he found a dock line in the trunk. Tony grabbed it, closed the trunk, and sprinted back to McGee.

"I found some rope," he said tying one end to a nearby tree. "I'm gonna lower myself down, tie this end…" he held up the loop, "…around you and then climb back out. Then I'll pull you out." Tony wasn't sure why he was telling Tim his plan, it wasn't like he could hear it, but it made him feel better so he didn't question it.

It was slow work, trying to maneuver down on the rope. His hands were slick from the rain and kept slipping. Twice he nearly fell, but he managed to keep himself from plummeting down to join his brother.

When he finally reached the bottom, finding the water up to his knees, he crouched down next to Tim. He felt around for a pulse first, finding a sluggish one beneath freezing skin. "Hey, buddy, you wake?" Tony whispered as McGee's head lolled in his hands. "C'mon Tim-Tim, say something." Tim's eyes opened for a moment, but then they slipped closed again.

"Okay, let's get you out," Tony said quickly, trying to ignore how blue Tim's lips were, and went to work. He managed to get the rope tied tightly around his brother, double checking to make sure he wasn't going to fall again. He quickly climbed out of the hole, and the moment he was out, he scrambled to his feet and put every effort into pulling his brother from his makeshift prison. It was slow going, and Tony nearly lost his grip a few times, but finally his brother was free.

DiNozzo untied the rope from Tim, tossed it to the side, and collected his brother in his arms. "You're going to be okay," he whispered running his fingers through McGee's wet hair. "You'll be fine."

"T'ny," McGee murmured against DiNozzo's neck.

"Yeah, yeah it's me," Tony said softly. "It's me."

"Y-y-you f-found me," Tim whispered and then went slack against Tony again.

"I'll always find you."

**NCIS**

Ziva was waiting for Gibbs to call her back, needing to know if he had any luck tracking Tony down, when she heard familiar footsteps racing towards her. She looked up to see a frantic Abby rushing from the elevator, a piece of paper clutched in her hands.

"Hi," she started and then plowed on before Ziva could say anything. "So, I was scouring recent BOLOs…" Ziva gave Abby a confused look and she said, "What? You don't do that during your lunch break?" The ex-Mossad Officer shook her head. "It's not weird I just…" Abby trailed off, shaking her head. "That's not the point. I found something hinky, and I thought you'd like to see it."

The Goth glanced around, her face contorting into sorrow when her eyes settled on McGee's desk. She then looked back at Ziva and asked, "Where's Gibbs?"

"He's…" What did Ziva tell her? She did not want to lie to her, but she also did not want to worry Abby, yet. Not before they had something to tell her. So, Ziva opted to change the subject. "What did you find?"

"This." Abby shoved the paper at Ziva, rocking nervously back and forth on her heels, waiting for Ziva to read it. With furrowed eyebrows, the younger woman glanced down at the page and read:

_ Be on the lookout for a brunette, white male, approximately six feet tall wearing a black dress shirt and jeans; wanted in the connection of a GTA approximately twenty-five minutes ago._

"It sounds like Tony," Abby stated softly. "It can't be, right? I'm just reading too much into this, right? I'm just worried about Timmy and…" her green eyes widened, begging. "Please tell me I'm wrong, Ziva."

Ziva didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed her phone and dialed Gibbs.


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs was about a block away from the naval yard when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and said, "Yeah, Gibbs." He was expecting it to be Ziva telling him Tony had been arrested, but was surprised when Tony's hoarse voice answered, "_Boss?_

"Yeah, DiNozzo, it's me. Where are you?"

"_Hospital,_" Tony replied softly. "_I found McGee_."

"I'll be right there," Gibbs said, hanging up. He then began running back to the yard to get his car.

**NCIS**

Ziva and Abby crashed through the emergency room doors, both heading towards the nurse's station. Simultaneously, they began talking over each other, demanding to know where their team members were, no doubt scaring the bewildered nurse.

The nurse was saved the trouble of responding when Gibbs approached them. He rested a hand on each of the girls' backs and steered them towards the waiting room.

They both froze in the doorway when they spotted Tony, sitting in the corner. He was soaking wet, his brown hair plastered to his head, and his green eyes were bloodshot. He was being uncharacteristically quiet, and didn't move to acknowledge the girls.

"Is he okay?" Abby whispered in a small, fearful voice. Gibbs didn't respond, instead he walked around the girls and took a seat next to Tony. The girls shared a quick look before sitting down kitty corner from DiNozzo.

The waiting room was quiet for a while, the group waiting for word on McGee, but it was broken up by Tobias Fornell appearing in the doorway. Standing on either side of him were two other FBI agents, one, unsurprisingly, happen to be Sacks.

"Give him a minute, Tobias," Gibbs said softly, getting to his feet. He knew exactly why Fornell was there, someone no doubt answering the BOLO when they spotted Tony. As far as Tobias knew, DiNozzo was a 'person of interest.' He didn't know that Tony did, indeed, steal that car.

"Gibbs, I have to take him," Fornell replied sounding as if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Just one minute," Jethro stated glancing over at Tony. Tobias sighed, but nodded. He gestured for Sacks and the other agent to stand outside the room before taking a seat next to the door.

The doctor finally appeared about fifteen minutes later, and the group stood as one, waiting for him to say something.

"He's stable," the doctor said looking directly at Tony. "He suffered from hypothermia and dehydration. We want to monitor him for a few days, make sure there isn't any lasting damage, but if all goes well, he's going to be okay."

Tony sighed in relief, sinking into his chair. He put his head in his hands, taking deep, calming breaths. He sat there for five minutes, but finally looked up at Fornell and nodded. "I'm ready," he said getting to his feet.

As Tobias snapped the cuffs around Tony's wrists, tears starting dripping down Abby's face and Ziva looked as if she wanted to protest. Gibbs met Tony's eyes and said, "We'll get you out of this."

Tony gave Gibbs a weak smile and stated, "No you won't, but thanks anyway." He then allowed Fornell to haul him out of the waiting room.

**To Be Continued…**

**NCIS**

**I know, in reality, the FBI probably wouldn't have dealt with a simple GTA charge, but I couldn't think of any cops they ran into on a daily basis, and I know Fornell's character a little bit, so I just decided on him. Just an FYI.**

**Anyway, yes, this is the last chapter for this story. The next part (and final 'Brothers Universe' story) will be put up whenever I get around to starting it. It should be soon, possibly after I finish my SGA story.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, reviewing, alerting, and favoriting this story. You guys are awesome and I really do appreciate the support.**

**I still don't own these characters, and thanks for reading.**

**Drop me a comment if you can.**

**SEE YA!**


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